Sunday, March 27, 2016

Happy Easter! Every year, I get giddy when spring rolls around. Maybe it's the anticipation of getting the garden ready for its growing season. Maybe it's watching the tulips and daffodils push up through the soil like an annual reminder that no matter how bad the winter, spring and regrowth will always return. Whatever it is, I wish you the happiest of Easter holidays if you celebrate. Enjoy!

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Whether you're Irish, or Irish at heart, I hope you have a magnificent St. Patrick's Day! In between your bouts of green beer and Irish food today, you might be interested in a little factoid I dug up on the Internet.

You may have heard the legend of Saint Patrick, who is said to have driven all the snakes out of Ireland. While good ol' Saint Pat might have done some amazing things in other respects, the absence of snakes in Ireland was not actually his doing. Wikipedia also mentions that New Zealand, Iceland, Greenland and Antarctica are also snake-free (make a note of that, ophidiophobics).

There's a very interesting article at Popular Science about Ireland's snakeless state. While Ireland is currently free of native snakes, there are pet and zoo snakes living there. Imported snakes are not illegal. However, if these pets get free of their owners, they run the risk of becoming an invasive species. As anyone in Australia can tell you, invasive species are bad news. Snakes have many uses, but in a foreign environment with no limiting factors, they could be devastating to an ecosystem.

For now, though, Ireland remains largely snake-free, so you can sip that green beer and listen to some traditional Irish harp music. Sláinte!

Tuesday, March 08, 2016

So, who out there hates those ugly black neoprene and nylon computer bags? Yeah, me, too. It's been an ongoing battle to find a bag that is a) cute, b) durable, and c) roomy enough for all my stuff. I've gotten tired of lugging my netbook, purse, and assorted books and notebooks around in separate bags, too.

I've been looking for a decent, pretty netbook sleeve since getting my netbook, and nothing has ever really wowed me. I've had the ugly black bag, a brown neoprene one, and everything in between. This, in addition to carrying a purse. Over the weekend, I happened across an adorable tote bag at Joann Fabrics. The inside, unfortunately, was one large space...and you know that means hunting for your stuff at the bottom of that inner-bag wasteland. Then I saw the butterfly fabric that matched it, and I knew I'd found something I wanted to use to make a sleeve that finally fit my netbook properly.

Assuming I could find a pattern, and sew it. Anyone who knows me is pretty well aware that I am not known for my sewing abilities, however, I have been known to sew a straight line when necessary.

I bought the tote, fabric, and notions, then went right to Amazon and found a tote organizer that will fit inside the tote. This is basically the "guts" of a purse, with separate pockets and whatnot for all your smallish things, while still allowing space inside your bag for something big, like a notebook or binder (or netbook sleeve and cords). Whoever invented this thing is brilliant, because now I can change out bags and just put the guts in whichever one I decide is "it" for the season. So, here is the pile of crafty stuff I started with:

I managed to find a very easy tutorial for a Simple Laptop Sleeve that didn't require a great deal of skill to construct. Elizabeth explains everything carefully, with step-by-step pictures. Positively wonderful.

So, after two evenings at the dining room table, I wound up with something beautiful that fits my netbook. What do you think?

If I can do it, so can you. Believe me! I was worried enough about the end result at first to want to farm it out to a quilting friend, but it really is that easy. I will try to edit this post with some better lighting so you can see the beautiful colors in this fabric. It didn't take much, either. You probably have enough scrap lying around to knock one of these together! I'm thrilled with the end result, and now I (and my "stuff") will be ready for spring!

Edit: Here are some pictures taken in better lighting, so you can see the finished product more clearly!

NEW FROM NICKI

About Me

Nicki Greenwood graduated SUNY Morrisville with a degree in Natural
Resources, which of course has nothing to do with writing novels. She
has also worked in a bakery, an insurance agency, a flower shop, and a
doctor's office, which have nothing to do with writing, either. She did
spend an awesome two years as an assistant editor for a publisher, and
now does freelance editing on the side. Nicki still holds down a day
job, which manages to get her out of the house once in a while. Since
2010, she has written eight novels, including the award-winning Gifted
Series.

Nicki lives in upstate New York with her husband, son, and assorted
pets. If you can't find her at her computer, you can always try the
local Renaissance Faire.

The Critter List

Red Admiral Butterfly on Common DandelionPhoto (c) Nicki Greenwood. May not be used without express written permission.

About The Critter List

Nicki lives in a suburban neighborhood in Upstate NY. She enjoys creating habitat for wildlife of all kinds, especially birds and pollinators. Below is a list of species confirmed either by visual ID, or in the case of birds, occasionally their songs. This list is proof that if you do away with pesticides, even a residential area can be full of wildlife for you and your family to enjoy!

The Critter List

American Crow

American Goldfinch

American Robin

Barred Owl

Black-Capped Chickadee

Blue Jay

Cabbage White Butterfly

Canada Goose

Carpenter Bee

Cherry-Faced Meadowhawk Dragonfly

Citrine Forktail Damselfly

Clouded Sulphur Butterfly

Common Eastern Bumblebee

Common Grackle

Cricket

Dark-Eyed Junco

Downy Woodpecker

Eastern Cottontail Rabbit

Eastern Gray Squirrel

European Starling

Giant Swallowtail Butterfly

Gray Catbird

Great Blue Heron

Groundhog

Honeybee

House Finch

House Sparrow

Mallard

Monarch Butterfly

Mourning Cloak Butterfly

Mourning Dove

Northern Cardinal

Pileated Woodpecker

Potter Wasp

Question Mark Butterfly

Red Admiral Butterfly

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Song Sparrow

Turkey Vulture

Indoor Plants List

Compact Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata 'Compacta')Photo (c) Nicki Greenwood. May not be used without express written permission.

About the Indoor Plants List

Did you know the air quality inside your home is worse than the air outside? In addition to carbon dioxide, there are toxins such as benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene off-gassing into your home from the many fixtures and finishes inside it. What can you do?

Add plants! Indoor plants act like living filters, removing toxins from the air. In return for a little TLC, they provide better air quality, reduce stress, improve health and sleep, and give you something fresh and green to look at when it's snowy or stormy outside. Here are some of the hardy specimens Nicki has grown in her home. The require little more than occasional watering and proper lighting. (A quick Internet search will help you care for these plants in your own home.)